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“What is GRid?”

GRid provides a system for the unique identification of "Releases" of music over electronic networks, so that they can be managed efficiently. A Release is defined precisely in the Standard but can be understood as a collection of recordings or other media that are grouped together for commerce. Products can be made from Releases by, for instance, choosing a technology to encode the recordings (such as MP3 or AAC) or a business model (such as sale or rental).

By assigning a unique GRid to a Release, it can be identified without ambiguity in, for instance, reports of sales of products based on the Release.

“How do I use GRid?”

You can download the Grid Standard and the GRid Handbook from this site to see how they work and the benefits they will give you.

Using the GRid Standard requires you to have a unique "Issuer Code" and to get one of these, you need to apply through this site by clicking to indicate that you agree to be bound by a Compliance Agreement (essentially saying you will implement GRid properly) and pay a fee, currently GBP150 by credit card.

“Why would I want to use GRid?”

GRid was developed to be an effective identifier in the online music world. We expect that online retailers and others will start to use GRid as they accept content from rights holders and report sales back to them. Online communications standards such as those managed by DDEX (www.ddex.net) allow the use of GRid to identify releases.

“Why does GRid have a Check Digit?”

To ensure that GRid is communicated accurately, its final character is a Check Digit which is derived from the other characters and will not compute correctly if any of the other characters have been changed. We provide an online calculator so you can check any GRid you have concerns about and verify that your own software is operating correctly.